Dec. 18 (UPI) — The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on Tuesday ordered the FBI to explain how it intends to correct errors noted by a Justice Department report on its surveillance of President Donald Trump’s former campaign adviser.
Presiding Judge Rosemary Collyer ordered the FBI to explain in writing by Jan. 10 how it intends to rectify problems with its surveillance of Carter Page, which Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz outlined in a report last week.
Horowitz’s report specified 17 inaccuracies involving three applications filed under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which may have inflated the bureau’s justification for surveillance against Page.
Collyer said the FBI’s handling of the case was “antithetical to the heightened duty of candor” required by the court and “calls into question whether information contained in other FBI applications is reliable.”
“The FISC expects the government to provide complete and accurate information in every filing with the court. Without it, the FISC cannot properly ensure that the government conducts electronic surveillance for foreign intelligence purposes only when there is a sufficient factual basis,” Collyer said.
The order calls on the FBI to explain steps it has already taken and plans to take “to ensure the statements of facts in each FBI application accurately and completely reflects information possessed by the FBI.”
The FBI responded on Tuesday by saying it is committed to working with the FISA court and the Justice Department to ensure accuracy of future information.
“FISA is an indispensable tool in national security investigations,” the agency said.
